Get Married
by recchinon
Summary: Post Jinchuu. Kaoru knew she wouldnt be eighteen forever. She had to get married someday. With or without Kenshin as her partner.
1. Chapter 1

Get Married 1

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It was raining when Kaoru woke up that morning. The young kendo instructor yawned lazily as she opened her sapphire eyes. It had been a while since Yahiko left the dojo. The soon to be thirteen boys had left to started living by his own in Sanosuke's ex-room. Sure the boy would still come over to the dojo to practice kendo and having dinner but it didn't change the fact that now it had been kind of lonely in the morning.

It had been six months since Enishi's Jinchuu and Kaoru could felt the slightly change in Kenshin's behavior toward her. Ever since they went to Kyoto few months ago to visit Tomoe's grave, Kenshin had acted differently toward her though not overly romantic. Now, he would hold her hand when they walk as if that was the most natural thing to do, or touching her hair to tuck some lose strands... They were just simple gestures but Kaoru couldn't ask for more. He didn't say it out loud but from his action, it was safe to say that they'd been officially an item now, wasn't it? Though it would be so much nicer if only Kenshin told her the four letter word. Kaoru knew that Kenshin did love her. His action told her more than enough. He had implied that she was his most important person right now, and it did make her really happy, but just hearing him saying it once wouldn't hurt right?

"Good morning, Kenshin..."

"Good morning, Kaoru-dono, I'll be done soon," Kenshin smiled sweetly when she entered the kitchen where he was preparing the breakfast for both of them. Like usual, he woke up much earlier than her to prepare breakfast. He cooked for her, did her laundry, saving her life more than once... Sure it meant he loved her, right?

"It smells good," Kaoru walked to the stove to see what he had cooked for the breakfast, "miso soup?"

"And fish," Kenshin added with a smile on his face, "you don't mind?"

Kaoru giggled, "it sounds perfect... Is there anything I could help you here?"

Kenshin was about to say no when someone called Kaoru's name from the front door.

Kaoru frowned. She didn't expect anyone this morning. Wondering who had been coming to visit their dojo this early, Kaoru left the kitchen to see her guest. She tried to recall if she had any appointment with anyone this morning but she remembered none. It was unusual for anyone to visit them this early.

"Sorry for the waiting," Kaoru opened the main gate and found a middle-aged woman in green kimono and bright yellow obi smiling at her. She recognized her right away, "ah, Shouko Oba-san!"

"Kaoru, my girl!" The woman pulled her into a tight hug, "you've grown up!"

Kaoru was surprised but she hugged the woman back.

This woman with jet black hair in tight bun was Shouko Nagano, her aunty, her late father's half sister and also her only relative alive. Up until now, she thought she lived in China following her husband who was a trader. They hadn't met for years, she hadn't even there in her father's funeral. The last time they met was in her mother's funeral and it had been years ago.

Kaoru's feeling was complicated. She remembered when she was young her aunty was really nice to her until she get married when Kaoru was eight years old and started following her husband travelling since then. Meeting her only relative alive was nostalgic and brings back old memories but there was also this uneasy feeling lingering. What had brought her here?

"I heard about Nii-sama but I couldn't come, I am really sorry Kaoru, it must be really hard for you..."

Kaoru had invited Shouko for breakfast with them and introduced her to the rurouni who had been surprised but was glad he cooked enough for three people.

"It's okay, Oba-san, you were in Tibet at the time... You are a housewife, it shouldn't be alright for you to travel without your husband's concern only to attend a funeral," Kaoru was sincere when she said this, she loves her Aunty and she knew that grew up in a Samurai household, her aunty was taught that a woman from Samurai family should obey their husband, no matter what, once they got married.

Shouko shook her head, "and there are other things too... The rumor of you... Being killed... You don't know how glad I am to know it was just a false rumor."

Kaoru could feel Kenshin tensed. He didn't show it much but Kaoru realized it the ex-hitokiri acted differently whenever that topic brought up. She gave the red headed an assuring look. A look that only them could understand.

"I am okay, oba-san. You don't have to worry about me anymore," Kaoru chuckled, she had it a lot. People would always gave her that kind of face whenever they talked about her fake death. She knew it must be shocking for them but she couldn't help but to feel that was... Surreal, "Kenshin had saved me, he had protected me. You don't have to worry about me anymore, Oba-san. With Kenshin here, I will be okay."

She tried to imply about _their _special bond but she couldn't say more. She didn't know, how was her aunty think about Kenshin? She wasn't too worried though. Everybody she knew loved Kenshin. His aunty Shouko wouldn't be different.

The woman put down her bowl on the tray and turned to the rurouni. Kenshin smiled sheepishly. He knew that this person was someone important to Kaoru and he didn't want her to hate him.

Shouko sighed before returning the smile, "Thank you very much Himura-san, for saving my niece's life. For staying here with her. After her father passed away, I heard about what had happened to the dojo... It must have been lonely for her. Thank you for being there for her." She bowed, surprising Kenshin.

"Ah, that was..." He bowed back, he didn't expect the woman to bow, "I... I have been saved by Kaoru-dono kindness too, that I have. Kaoru-dono had done so many things for someone like me. I think, it's me who have to thank Kaoru-dono for everything..."

Kaoru blushed, listening to the conversation between the man she loved and her only aunty was like... It was like he was asking her permission to marry her. Unless, of course he didn't really say it. It was only in her head but she hoped that it was true.

"I am glad that Kaoru had someone like you, Himura-san, to protect her... I heard many things about you. I knew your reputation," she stretched on the last word. Both Kenshin and Kaoru knew what she meant by that. She knew that Kenshin was the infamous Battousai, "I can't say I wasn't worried when I heard about it. My lovely niece was taking in someone as dangerous as you in... But after I meet you today, it change my mind. In fact I feel that Kaoru couldn't be saver anywhere but here with you..."

Kenshin smiled, Shouko wouldn't see the sadness in his smile but Kaoru could see it, "I am aware of it, Nagano-san. I have thought about it too. I knew what harm I could have done to Kaoru-dono and believe me, I didn't want to harm her, or would I let anyone do that to her. I just... I couldn't let her alone by herself. When I still have the strength to protect her, I would do that. I would protect her from anything including from myself."

"I could see that. Actually, there is another thing I would like to talk about with Kaoru, and with you too, Himura-san," Shouko took a sip of her barley tea, "it's about Kaoru's future..."

"Shouko Oba-san..." Kaoru felt her heart beating faster, she had an idea of what it was about. She had expected something like this when she saw her aunty at her front gate this morning but she wasn't ready. She looked at Kenshin from the corner of her eyes. He realised it too, she could see it.

"I know you don't feel comfortable to talk about it, Kaoru," Shouko sighed, "but you couldn't avoid this talk forever. This year, how old are you again? Eighteen? Ninteen? You can't stay single forever, Kaoru..."

Kaoru bit her lower lip. She looked down to her laps, avoidin eye contacts with anyone in the room. She didn't knew what was in Kenshin mind right now. She could only hope that the red head wouldn't get the wrong idea about this. She loved him. She would be happy, more than just happy actually, to marry him and have his children but she didn't want to force him when he wasn't ready.

"Himura-san, I don't mean that I would force you to marry my niece, I could never do that. You have done so much for my niece and I appreciate it. I just want to make sure, if you do have that kind of feeling for her, I just want to know," Shouko looked at Kenshin sternly. The woman might be a merchant's wife right now but she was brought up in a samurai family. There were samurai bloods in her vein and it could be seen in her eyes, "my niece wouldn't be eighteen forever. Soon she would be twenty, twenty three... And I don't want her to end up as a spinster. People talk about her. I know I could believe her, she wouldn't do anything that would disgrace herself, but it wouldn't stop people from talking behind her back."

Kaoru knew her aunty was right. People in town were being nice to her and Kenshin but it didn't mean she hadn't heard one or two rumors about her and the rurouni. She never talked about it with Kenshin because she didn't want him to blame himself. Because she didn't think that it was important topic to be brought up.

Shouko sighed, "I come here today, with this intention to set an omiai for Kaoru."

Kaoru looked up at the word 'omiai', "Oba-san!"

Shouko smiled faintly, "that's it, unless Himura-san asked for your hand for marriage, I would have to go on my plan about the omiai."

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It was still raining in the afternoon. Yahiko had just finished her training and now off somewhere in town to work. That kid now started having part time jobs. Kaoru was glad that living in Sanosuke's old place didn't make him anything like the lazy man. Kenshin was in the police office. This morning after the breakfast, one of the police officer come to pick him up. There was someone from the government needed to see him. He had said once that he didn't want to get involved in the government business anymore but when he agreed quickly to meet the unknown minister, Kaoru wondered if he did that only to avoid her. After all, the conversation with her aunty this morning during the breakfast did give this awkward feeling between them.

Kaoru's aunty, Shouko had left the dojo after the breakfast, saying that she would have to leave the town in the afternoon to accompany her husband. She would be back in three days to collect Kaoru's decision about her offer. Kaoru didn't know what she exactly felt about the offer. It was so unreal for her. Her long lost aunty knocked on her door this morning, offering an omiai for her... That. If Kenshin didn't asked for her hand first.

Kaoru sat alone with a cup of tea that afternoon. She opened the door so she could watched the rain. She didn't know what to think. Everything happened too fast and out of control. What should she do? What could she do?

All of sudden her future was no longer in her own hands but in Kenshin's. Yes, her future had depended on Kenshin's decision. If he didn't want to marry her, then she would have to meet this unknown man for an omiai...

She let out a heavy sighed. If Kenshin didn't want to marry her at all, it wouldn't be surprising for her. After all, it was too sudden. It was just recently that they started being a couple and now her aunty came and gave her no choice but to get married, with or without Kenshin as her partner...

Kaoru groaned at the thought of herself marrying someone who was not Kenshin. That was unthinkable for her. She knew that her aunty was really care about her and whoever he was, the man her aunty had picked to be her _omiai _partner should have been a nice respectable man who would treat her right. She knew that_ omiai, _as scary as it might sound in her ears, was actually not that bad. She knew there were many couples who got married after they met in an _omiai _and ended up falling in love with each other after they got married. In fact, her parents were one of those couples.

She knew it could have worked for her too, _if only _she hadn't fallen so hard for the rurouni. She just knew it was impossible for her to love another man right now, or ever. After what had happened between her and Kenshin, people shouldn't have even thought about separating them.

She knew he felt the same way. She knew it but she wasn't sure about it. Not anymore. If only he told her that he loved her... She would feel more confident.

Now her aunty's words sank into her mind. She wouldn't be eighteen forever. She would grow up and old as time went by. Kenshin would be twenty nine soon but he was a man and he had been married one. Twenty nine or thirty didn't even matter for him. But for a woman. Once she turned twenty there would be people called her spinster already.

Kaoru sighed. The rain hadn't stopped at all and she felt more and more gloomy.

Megumi was going to be twenty three soon and she hadn't married. Tae was twenty five. The other girls around her was older and they hadn't even had a partner or a lover so she wasn't the only one. That didn't make her felt better though. She knew she couldn't use Megumi and Tae as her reason to refuse the _omiai _offer.

Kaoru took another sip of her tea. Maybe she should really talk with Kenshin about this. She needed to know about his real feeling. She needed to hear it. She decided it herself. She would ask him straightforwardly.

The question was: how.

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Author's Note:

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That's it. My own take of post Jinchuu. I don't know... It's been so long since I wrote something for this fandom. I don't know if I still have it in me.

I apologize for grammars and typos, I haven't checked it. And... If you want to be my beta/proof reader just tell me. I would always need one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Get Married 2**

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Kenshin didn't quite understand, why these people wouldn't understand though he had explained to them countless time, he did not want anything from them. He understood that those people wanted to give him what they thought he deserved. A position in the government, a payment to what he'd done for the restoration era. They told him that for what he had done in the past, he deserved for at least the national defense minister position. Kenshin had refused this idea and told them that he wasn't someone that capable for that position. Using his sword to kill their enemies had been one thing, but being a minister... No, Kenshin couldn't even think about that. He was someone who would do everything in the shadow and now that the era had changed, he was no more needed by the government and he didn't really mind it.

This new era, the new Japan, didn't need him anymore. He was not interested to involve himself into the current political issue, in fact he knew nothing about politic, he didn't want to know. Politic corrupted someone's mind and soul and Kenshin didn't want to be corrupted more that he was. He had his life now and he was more than happy being who he was.

"I can't believe you turn down my offer, Himura," the old man with thick round glasses sighed. Minister Kubota, this man's name was one of Kenshin's commander fifteen years ago, "when you came here, I thought you finally change your mind."

Kenshin smiled politely, he couldn't tell the man that the reason why he was there was to avoid Kaoru. He could never admit it but what had happened this morning had put them in such an awkward situation.

The old man sighed, "how old are you this year, Himura? Thirty? Do you have a job right now?"

Those were common questions, he had been asked these many times these past few years. However after this morning, these question sound harsher than it actually meant.

He sighed, "I don't have a permanent job but I helped at the police station, sometime, and other works." He didn't want to talk about the details.

"How much do you earn every month?"

Kubota was known for being direct. His dialect and character was just like those stereotype Osaka man. Honest, loud, and straight-forward to the point that he might sound kind of rude sometime. Kenshin could only smile hearing the question, he knew Kubota wasn't a bad man, "I earn enough."

Kubota shook his head, he knew Kenshin since he was thirteen. When he said 'enough' it meant he didn't earn more than few yen every month.

"Are you married?"

The red headed samurai tried not to groan. This question... He didn't really want to hear about anything related to marriage at the time. It would only remind him that he had to decide about what Kaoru's aunt offer to him.

"No, not yet."

Maybe soon.

Kubota pushed his glasses up and smirked knowingly, "but I heard that you live with a beautiful young lady at the time, is it true?"

"Yes," Kenshin tried not to sound harsh when he explained, "but Kaoru-dono and me didn't have that kind of relationship... Kaoru-dono is a really respectable woman."

"Well of course, and you are a respectable man yourself, Himura. Don't you want to marry her?"

Kenshin, for the first time since he entered the building, lost the ability to speak. That question. No matter how many times had he heard the question, he could never believe people kept on asking him that when they should have known the answer.

"Do you?"

Again, he sighed, "I do."

"Then don't you think you need a stable job? Himura, I know you're a smart man, you do know that to start a family you need money, don't you?" Kubota tried to use this chance to persuade the samurai to take his offer, "think about it, this wasn't only for your own good but for that woman too... You can't be selfish."

Selfish?

He, Kenshin Himura, was selfish?

Kenshin blinked. He didn't expect to be accused as someone selfish. Sure his teacher had told him, many times, that he was a stone head and Sanosuke had told him that he was slow... But selfish...

Had he been really selfish?

"Think about it, Himura... I will wait for your answer seven days from today," Kubota smiled, "I hope when I see you next week, you would say yes to my offer."

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Kenshin walked slowly. He didn't really want to see Kaoru's face right now. Not when his head was full of many confusing things like this. Today was really tiring for him. Two people he met today had pushed him to the corner and left him with difficult things to decide.

A marriage.

He had been married once but that was different. At the time they had no choice. Even though in the end he had fallen in love with his late wife, when they started living together, they were just two stranger. Though their feeling toward each other was real, their marriage was just a camouflage. It was a difficult time, Kenshin was so young and they were in danger with so many things to concern other than the marriage itself. If someone told him that it would be easy for him this time because he had done it before, they're wrong.

He loved Kaoru and he wanted to make her happy. If he would marry Kaoru, it would be, it MUST be, a real marriage. He had to think about many things to make it works. He needed to make sure that he could make her happy. For the starter, he needed a job.

Kaoru made some money by teaching in some other dojo and now aday there were more kids wanted to learn Kamiyakasshin style so technically they didn't really have to worry about money at the time. But if they were to marry, Kenshin wanted to be the one who'd provide their family...

Kaoru had never asked much from him, no, in fact she had never asked him anything but to stay. She loved him just the way he is but he couldn't help but being ashamed if he couldn't provide her when they get married. He wanted to make her happy but he didn't want to be a minister like what Kubota had offered to him. No, he was not someone who could do something like that. He wasn't competent for that. He knew it.

Without realizing it, Kenshin had stopped in front of Kamiya dojo's front gate.

He let out a heavy sigh. What should he do?

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"Uwaaaah so cute! What is his name?"

The baby laughed when Kaoru kissed his chubby cheek and tickled his round tummy.

"It's Masafumi or Makkun," Tsubame smiled but her face looked worried, "actually, Kaoru-san I need your help to take care of Makkun. He is Tae-san's cousin's son... Right now he had a fight with his wife and his wife went back to her parent's house in Yokohama... He tried to get her back and persuade her to go back home with him. He needs to talk with his wife so he left Makkun in Akabeko... But Tae-san's flu and I am really busy..."

Kaoru smiled, "so you want me to take care of him until his parents get back to get him?"

"Yes, I don't know who else to ask... Yahiko-ch, uh -kun, was no where to be seen so I have no choice but to come here. I am really sorry for troubling you..." The young girl bowed deeply but Kaoru just laughed and told her not to worry because she would take care of the baby for her. Tsubame smiled thankfully, "thank you! I have to go now! It is really busy right now!"

"Bye-bye Tsubame-chaaan," Kaoru held Makkun's chubby hand and waved it as Tsubame turned and ran leaving the dojo.

When the girl had left. Kaoru looked at the baby and giggled, "now, what should we do, hm?"

Kaoru was alone right now. Doctor Genzai had asked Yahiko to the next town for an errand, and Kenshin was in the town to buy some tofu for dinner. Alone with the baby boy, Kaoru sat on the engawa with Makkun on her laps. The baby was about ten months old. He seemed to like Kaoru's hair as he had tried to pull it since the first time she held him in her arms, only stopped when a butterfly distracted him.

"Well, Makkun, I hope your parents would make up and come back to pick you up, huh?"

Makkun giggled as if he agreed to what Kaoru said.

The young woman spend another thirty minutes, sitting on the engawa, playing with the baby. Kaoru was an only child, she had always wanted to have a little brother or little sister but her mother had passed away since she was really young and her father had never thought of having another wife until the day he passed away. To outsider, Yahiko would have been the closest as her brother but what she wanted was a cute little brother who would call her 'onee-sama', brother not a brat that would call her 'ugly' every morning.

When she was younger, Kaoru had to spend her time alone. Every morning the student would come to learn kendo and Kaoru wouldn't be alone but soon after they went home, Kaoru would be all by herself and feeling lonely. She had always wanted a little brother or sister but right now, that her parents had passed away and she had grown up, and that she was falling in love, what she wanted was no longer a cute baby brother or sister but a baby, a daughter or a son from the man she had fallen in love with.

Makkun tried to left Kaoru's lap to crawl on the dirty ground but Kaoru would not let him.

"No... No... It's dirty!"

Kaoru wondered how would her baby look like.

Kaoru loved Kenshin's hair color. And his smile. It would be great if their baby had his hair color and his smile. It didn't matter if it was a baby girl or boy. Kenshin's and her baby would be a beautiful baby.

Kenshin would be a great father. She knew it. He loved kids and the kids loved him as well. Kaoru had seen many times how Kenshin had played with the kids, how he laughed with them or letting them climbing on his shoulder as he did the laundry in the morning... Kenshin had everything a kid would want from a father, he was gentle, patience, strong...

"Tadaima! Oro, Kaoru-dono, who's the little boy?"

Kaoru's face turned red when the man in her mind suddenly appeared. She laughed nervously as she explained the situation. Kenshin listened to her story patiently.

"I see, so this little Makkun would join us for dinner?" Makkun tried to touched the samurai, Kenshin laughed and picked the baby up, "hello, Makkun, nice to meet you, I am Kenshin."

See? He would be a great father.

Kaoru smiled as she watched Kenshin somehow managed to communicate with the baby. It was clear that Makkun, just like the other kids, love Kenshin.

The smile on Kaoru's face was disappeared when she realized it was the first time in these past two days for Kenshin and her to spend their time like this. After two days ago when her aunty came and told them about the omiai, Kaoru and Kenshin hadn't really talked. They tried to avoid each other's gaze even during breakfast and dinner.

Listening to the baby's laughter, Kaoru couldn't help but to smile. It hadn't been half an hour and Makkun had been attached to Kenshin.

"He likes you."

Kenshin turned to Kaoru and grinned, "he does?"

"Well, you're a little slow in realizing that people have fallen in love with you, aren't you Kenshin?" Teased Kaoru as she stood up, now she stood right in front of him.

Kenshin realized the double meaning hidden in her words. He could only smiled as he looked away from Kaoru and continued teasing the baby, "so are you, Kaoru-dono..."

Kaoru blushed, "noone has fallen in love with me..."

"See? That's why I said Kaoru-dono is slow."

She knew her face had turned beet red. She wondered if there were any special meaning behind what he said but she couldn't just ask him.

Kaoru use her index finger to caress Makkun's cheek. The baby squirmed, turned his chubby face and tried to bite Kaoru's finger. She laughed gently.

.

That was weird.

Kenshin wondered how long had they been there. He hold the baby while Kaoru teased him. Tickled his round tummy, making the baby squirmed in Kenshin's arm and laughed. She laughed with him. Oh, how he loved the way she laughed.

That was not something that happened everyday. Both of them and a baby. It almost felt as if Kenshin were seeing their future together. Married and having a baby...

The baby in his arms was not his baby but he could imagine in, when they had a baby, they would do this often. Playing with their baby in the garden. He would listen to her laughed as she teased their baby... Kenshin tried not to grin. He loved the idea in his mind.

But to have a baby they had to get married.

Thinking about that erased the smile on his face. To get married he had to find a job. He had to make sure that he could provide her and make her happy. There were so many things he had to do. So many things he had to decide.

The baby in his arm yawned. Kenshin looked at Makkun and smiled. He was sleepy and ready to sleep.

"Aww, look at him," Kaoru giggled, "let me hold him until he really sleep, could you please prepare a futon for him? Tsubame should be here to get him back after dinner."

Kenshin gave the baby to Kaoru. She was right, Makkun looked really sleepy. He rubbed his brown hair before he went to prepare the futon for the baby just like what Kaoru asked him to do.

Kenshin was thinking as he prepared the futon about how much he want to make Kaoru happy. He wanted to see her smile everyday. There was nothing in this world he wanted more that Kaoru to be happy. The question was, could he?

Kaoru said earlier that he was too dense to realize that there were people who fall in love with him. He didn't say it clearly but she was wrong. It wasn't like he didn't realize it, it was because he pretended not to realize it. After ten years of being a wandered, Kenshin had become better and better in reading people. He met people and sometime he realized that some people harboured a romantic feeling for him. At the time, he was a wanderer, a rurouni, he didn't expect to stay so he tried to pretend that he didn't realize it, so they wouldn't expect more from him.

With Kaoru it was different.

Since the first time he met her, he had been attracted. Her blue eyes, black hair and innocent smile had made him feeling something he had never felt before. He knew that she had been attracted to him but he wasn't sure what kind of attraction it was.

Kaoru was so young, so pure. He was scared that what she thought was love actually was just a kind of admiration. He was scared that what she felt toward him might be different than what he felt for her.

Now, that he was sure that the feeling was mutual, he wasn't sure about the other thing. This time, he wasn't sure about his own self.

Could he make her happy?

Kenshin knew he shouldn't be selfish. He couldn't let her wait for too long. Because just like what Shouko had told him, Kaoru wouldn't be eighten forever. She deserved to be happy, to have a prefect family...

He wasn't sure that he could make her happy but to imagine that he had to let another man to take his place to make her happy...

No, he wouldn't like that.

Never that.

Kenshin sighed.

Maybe Kubota was right. He was selfish.

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Author's Note:

Makkun is modeled from my nephew, Masafumi, I actually call him Maccha but I think Makkun would suit this fic better. :)


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